Looking into the Abyss
by X009
Summary: So much of fate relies on chance. Destinies can be forever altered or destroyed by a single choice, success, or failure. Two changes; a fall in the Shattered Shaft, along with events of thr past that catch up to the present sooner than they should, alter the fates of so many. Will the lost souls recover themselves and find their place? Crossover with Bleach: The Third Phantom.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey. It took longer than I thought it would, but here's the first chapter of the remake of my old Bleach fic, my first attempt at writing fanfiction. I feel my writing has come a long way since then.**

**For those who never read it, it's a crossover between canon and Bleach: The Third Phantom, with slight alterations to account for the differences between the backstories of the manga and the game and with the distinction that Arturo managed to escape being trapped in the Wandering Spirit Realm, though he was left weakened as a result. Here at the moment, he's slightly weaker than Aizen, which is a huge step down from being someone even Yamamoto couldn't defeat in single combat.**

**Main pairing: Ichigo x Rukia. Side pairing: Karin x Hitsugaya.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

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Standing amidst what appeared to be rocky, outdoor terrain, which in reality was a secret room under his seemingly humble shop, Kisuke Urahara stood, his face set in a rare expression of grim seriousness as he awaited what he knew was only moments away.

To his side sat his young employee, Ururu, staring along with him into a deep pit as her redheaded fellow worker Jinta ran to the bottom, carrying a plate of food, all of which requiring one's hands to eat. It was a joke that, under normal circumstances, he would find mildly amusing, but with what was about to happen, he couldn't find any humor in it, or anything else for that matter.

It all came down to this. So many things were riding on what would happen in the next few minutes. His plans for rescuing Rukia Kuchiki, not just because she was a young (for a Shinigami) and undeserving damsel in distress, though that would be enough to get him moving in itself, but because of the importance of what she held and the fact that it was partially his fault she was in the mess she was in to begin with, his strategy to stop a crafty old foe of his and, perhaps most importantly as he would be responsible if anything unfortunate happened here, the fate of a young teenage boy who happened to be the son of a pair of friends of his.

Despite what one might think, given his foresight, Kisuke Urahara was a man who often took incredible risks, most often risks to others not himself, to bring about the outcomes he desired. He was the type of man who would put his admittedly genius intellect towards finding out every possible path a situation could take and every potential outcome, trying to guide it to its best but planning contingencies for the worst. That had saved him and others many a time in his long life. Most specifically that time over 100 years ago, when he was nearly executed by the Soul Society for the heinous crimes of another. Going only on bare details, he'd accurately foreseen the true nature of the situation. Not even truly knowing who was responsible or what kind of abilities or influence they might have, he had predicted the worst case scenario and unfortunately, accurately foresaw that it was the most likely conclusion, and prepared just what he'd need to escape and get the other victims of the scheme out alive, with some help from an old friend.

What a bitter experience that was. Stripped of everything he'd worked for, marked as a high traitor, knowing the true culprit was growing stronger while he was powerless to do anything to weaken his position, having no idea just what his nefarious purposes were… knowing he'd been utterly defeated. It's as he told a fellow outcast; there were no miscalculations… and that was the biggest miscalculation of all.

Nevertheless, when working out solutions to a bad situation, he'd most often go with the most effective, but at the same time most risky, option. Usually extremely beneficial if it succeeded, but if it failed… well, his old friend Yoruichi would sometimes joke that he has a kami on his side, because so far, that hadn't happened yet.

And here he was, once again taking the most risky, but, provided it succeeded, most advantageous option available, and effectively gambling with the life of the boy that lied at the bottom of the pit he stared into.

The shattered shaft… the only way for the young teen, Ichigo Kurosaki, to regain the powers stolen from him by Byakuya Kuchiki. Success would mean he'd be a Shinigami once more… though he'd become a hybrid, gaining Hollow powers in the process. However, those powers would protect him until he was ready to stand on his own completely. After all, he was one man against the most powerful military installation ever created, which had stood for millennia. Even if his friends went with him, one, Orihime, being a pacifist, was more of a support fighter, and he doubted the other two would be able to go toe to toe with a captain by the time they left on their rescue mission.

Failure would mean a fate viewed by the Shinigami as the worst thing any soul can experience save for falling into the depths of hell: becoming a Hollow. As always, he felt a tinge of remorse when thinking of how he'd manipulated the boy. He had never told him about the risks of their training, but after a moment of thought, he cast those that aside. Ichigo was the type of person who'd do anything to save people that mattered to him. Even had he known the danger of this method, he was sure the orange haired boy would have gone through with it anyway.

So far, things had gone well, but then again the danger of the first test was minimal. After all, he was more than fast enough to save the boy if he proved unable to avoid Ururu's attack. If he failed this 'lesson', all he'd be able to do is purify him and send him on his way to the Soul Society.

And so, watched with more than a hint of anxiety as he waited to see what fate had in store for the eldest of the Kurosaki siblings.

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the shaft, Ichigo, lying on his stomach from the pain and exhaustion as the most recent encroachment came to an end, looked up in mild confusion as he watched Jinta run down the wall of the pit. His eye twitched slightly when he noticed the little bastard was carrying a plate of food, a double insult; both mocking the fact that his hands were currently locked behind his back and a reminder of one of the signs that he would soon become a Hollow, something that, try as he might to deny it, he'd felt for the past hour, hunger.

The thought sent a chill down his spine and caused the cold pit he felt in his stomach to deepen, fear mixing with the hunger that spelled his impending doom. Try as he might, he couldn't figure out a way to climb out of the pit. And how the hell was this supposed to awaken his Shinigami powers anyway!? Would it have killed that Hat and Clogs wearing asshole to give him a hint of how this was supposed to work!? He knew trying to run up the wall was stupid, but he couldn't figure out what he was supposed to do!

"Hey," Jinta said, holding the plate of food before him with a mocking grin as he stared down at Ichigo. "I brought you some food. I figured you must be getting hungry by now."

"Heh," Ichigo rose up, giving him a confident smirk as he revealed his Chain of Fate. Five links remained. "What're you talking about? I'm not hungry at all. Take a good look, there's still plenty of links on the chain."

Jinta simply stared down at him for a moment before setting the plate down on the ground. "Suit yourself. I'll just leave this right here. You probably can't tell what time it is down here." He said, turning and walking towards the wall of the hole.

Ichigo's brow furrowed at that, an uneasy feeling spreading out from his core. "Time?"

Jinta stopped in his tracks, craning his neck to look over his shoulder at Ichigo. "It's actually been about 70 hours since you were thrown into this pit of despair. You should turn into a Hollow any minute now." The red haired boy said ominously, causing the orange haired teen's eyes to widen. "And one more thing." A dark smirk spread across his face. "The final encroachment is nothing like the others."

As if responding to Jinta's words, at that moment the next encroachment began.

And just as he foretold, it was nothing like those that came before it.

The now familiar, if disturbing, sight of mouths opening on his Chain of Fate greeted Ichigo as he looked down, however, that only lasted a moment. The next second, mouths had opened up all along the chains. Ichigo watched in horror as the entire chain hungrily devoured itself.

"All…" Ichigo began in a horrified whisper. "All of the chains?! No…No way! Stop! All of you!" He yelled helplessly at the animated chains. "STOP!"

It was to no avail. Before his eyes, the chain of fate completely devoured itself and the base was eaten away, leaving an empty hole in his chest.

For a moment, everything was still. Time seemed to stop and the pain vanished as Ichigo stared at the hole that went all the way through his chest. At t the top of the pit, Kisuke's eyes narrowed.

"It's finally time. Show me I was right about you." Kisuke said, too quietly for anyone to hear.

Then time resumed. Ichigo jerked back as a white, liquid leaked from his eyes. Then, he suddenly felt the same substance rise through his throat, clogging his wind pipe before bursting from his mouth as he screamed in agony, the pain returning, amplified to ungodly proportions. His reiatsu spiked, causing wind to whip around him and dust to rise and engulf him in a twisting spiral.

The liquid was forming a shape around his head, slowly taking the form of a mask.

Jinta had climbed to the top of the hole as the oppressive energy radiated from the orange haired teen. As he reached its edge, he turned his head and stared down into the pit, his eyes wide and slightly fearful. "Hey, hey! He's really turning into a Hollow!" Despite the shots he'd taken at him, he didn't want to see the teen die, especially like this. He wouldn't wish that fate anyone.

Ururu rose up, pointing her fist at the boy as she prepared to try to save him. "I have to help him."

"Hold it." Kisuke stated calmly, stopping her. Despite his wishes, he knew she couldn't actually help him at this point anyway.

She turned to look at him. "Kisuke."

"Watch him closely. Usually, when a whole becomes a Hollow, first the spiritual body explodes and then it reforms. But in this case, the order is mixed up. The mask is being created while the body is still a whole. This is a sign that he'd resisting. There's still hope that he'll become a Shinigami. Just watch."

Moments passed by and the process continued uninterrupted. The shape of the mask begun to become clearer and clearer as it began to solidify, starting from the left side of his face. The cries of agony rose as he screamed at the top of his lungs.

Kisuke's eyes narrowed in concern as the whole in Ichigo's chest began to widen. '_Damn it. Was I wrong? Have we lost him after all?_'

Inside the pit, Tessai grit his teeth as the bolts holding the restraints in Ichigo's arms burst out, blood spraying from the newly opened holes in his limbs.

"This is the limit manager! I'm switching to elimination mode!" Tessaid called out. Kisuke closed his eyes and nodded solemnly, a sense of grief over the boy's fate rising within him.

Tessai slammed his palms into the ground as he prepared to cast the spell that would seal Ichigo's fate. "Bakudo #99: Bankin! First Song, Shinryuu!"

At those words, a white cloth like material erupted from the ground and quickly wrapped around Ichigo, completely hiding his form as they completely bound his body.

"Second Song! Hyakurensan!" A hundred bolts formed around Ichigo before stabbing him from every angle, though it didn't deter his screams.

"What are you doing!? If you do that, you'll kill him for sure!" Jinta yelled from the top of the pit.

"That can no longer be avoided! I must destroy him before he becomes a Hollow!" Tessai answered back. He then slammed his hands together as he began the final part of the most powerful numbered Bakudo spell. "Final Song! Bankin Taiho!"

An immense, gray metal cube with black markings on all sides appeared in mid air, hovering near the top of the pit. It lingered there for a few moments before falling rapidl, threatening to crush Ichigo.

As it neared him, the wrappings covered him were torn open right down the middle by raw energy, ending halfway down his chest, revealing his still human body, Hollow hole and a fully formed mask before he vanished underneath the cube.

There was an enormous yellow explosion erupted from the shaft, shaking the entire area and creating a powerful gale, which Kisuke shielded his two young charges from. After a few moments, the blast died away and the trio rose to their feet, looking over to the now quiet shaft.

A cloud of dust hung in the air, obscuring everything with its confines around the Shattered Shaft. Kisuke's eyes hardened. There was a sense of menace and foreboding in the air that was all too familiar to the scientist Shinigami. He could feel it, the unmistakable reiatsu of a Hollow.

'_So, it's come to this. Forgive me, Isshin. Masaki._' A sinister, echoing growl could be heard from the cloud before them. "Jinta, Ururu." Kisuke said without turning to look at them. He brought his cane up and gripped it with his free hand, pulling back and revealing his concealed Zanpakuto. "Go find a place to hide and stay there until this is over."

"But-" Jinta began, wanting to aid his employer, but Kisuke immediately cut him off.

"Not now, Jinta! Just listen to me and stay back!" He yelled before he focused on the slowly clearing cloud, a roughly humanoid silhouette starting to become visible. "This isn't an ordinary Hollow. If you try to step in…" His eyes narrowed in the shadows cast by his hat. "…you'll die."

Jinta made a brief sound, whether in fear or protest he couldn't tell, before he grabbed Ururu and ran off to hide behind a boulder.

Kisuke held his sword at the ready, throwing the sheath to the side as he prepared to face the Hollow he created. The dust cleared and he tightened his grip on his blade as his form tensed, ready for action when he beheld the form of the creature that had been Ichigo Kurosaki.

He had to admit, the Hollow had a very intimidating form, not that it affected the former captain/assassin at all after all he'd seen and done but most unseated Shinigami would have chills down their spines if faced with the being before him. Ichigo now had the form of a muscular, humanoid lizard, its long, thick tail whipping through the air behind him. Its body was largely white with intricate red, wave like markings on its arms, its legs down to the shin and from the completely red tip of its tail. It had three toed feet with a spike jutting out of its heel, another jutting out from its end facing downward, shaped almost like a scythe. The former teen's hair had lengthened into spiky orange mane that reached halfway down his back. There were a series of four spikes coming out of both of his shoulders and white tufts of fur from his wrists. Its hands were tipped with sharp claws.

But the most frightening aspect was the mask. It was shaped more like a skull than any mask he'd seen yet, with a wide forehead that covered the front of his scalp. It had red marking on the upper left side, almost like the slash of a claw. Its eyes were the same as most Hollows, black voids with glowing, yellow orbs.

Ichigo's golden eyes scanned the landscape as his head turned from side to side, trying to get his bearings as he stood hunched over with one clawed hand resting on the ground. His thoughts were clouded, the hunger to devour souls, the instinct to satiate that hunger and destroy his enemies, filling his head as he searched his mind for clues of his identity. The only things he could recall were a few snippets of memories that would go by too fast to gleam anything from them, and his own name.

After only two seconds, his gaze honed on the man standing ready to face him. Perhaps from some remnants of his memories, perhaps from instinct, he was able to identify the reiatsu as that of the Hollow's enemy; Shinigami. Seeing one of the slayers of Hollows before him, sword held in front of him, there was no question a fight was imminent and his blood cried out for it.

Kisuke took a step back, taking a stance to dodge or strike at a moments notice as the Hollow opened its mouth and let out the warped, echoing roar its kind were known for.

The Hollow kicked off the ground, launching himself at Kisuke with surprising speed, its right arm pulled back, ready to stab at Kisuke with his claws.

With a deft movement of his blade, Kisuke deflected the blow, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Ichigo bring his left hand up to slash him across his chest. Leaning back, he dodged the attack and ducked under another slash.

Leaping past the Hollow, he slashed at its side, only for his eyes to widen in shock. The blade couldn't pierce the Hollow's skin, simply raking across it harmlessly as he leapt by.

Ichigo whipped his tail at the ex-captain, who leapt backwards and brought his free hand up, pointing his open palm at Ichigo as he turned and prepared to launch himself at his opponent.

"Sokatsui!" He cried out the name of the 33 Hado spell, his mastery of the art of kido and reiryoku manipulation allowing him to bypass the incantation, type and number of the spell.

Ichigo threw himself at Kisuke just as a wave of blue fire erupted from his hand, his skill and power creating an immense wave of flame which consumed the Hollow in an instant, leaving him no time to avoid the blow. However, much to Kisuke's horror, before the attack even faded completely, Ichigo's claw burst from the azure blaze, forcing him to jump back to avoid being stabbed. Soon, the Hollow's whole body emerged, none the worse for wear.

However, as Ichigo closed the distance between them, his claw raised for his next attack a voice called out, grabbing their attention.

"Hado #4 Byakurai!" Tessai, having climbed to the top of the pit, more than a little surprised the battle against the newly made Hollow wasn't over yet, even if it was abnormally strong, cried as he pointed his index finger towards the Hollow.

A beam of white lightning shot from his fingertip. While the higher level Soukatsui had done nothing, Byakurai, possessing far greater power due to being highly concentrated and dense, pierced through the Hollow's chest, causing him to cry out in pain as the force of the spell propelled him backward. Wordlessly, Tessai followed this up with two more blasts of pale lightning, puncturing next to the Hollow's hole and threw its shoulder.

Seeing the opening, Kisuke went on the offensive and moved towards the Hollow, twisting his body to snake around a downward slash of his claws and bringing his sword up in a diagonal slash. This time, unlike before where he believed it wouldn't be necessary, he focused his reiatsu into his blade.

The sword sliced through the Hollow's thick hide, sending blood spurting from the wound. However, in an instant, much to the shock of the Shinigami, the blood turned white and then flaked away, revealing the no visible remnant of the injury as the holes created by the lightning closed up.

'_High Speed Regeneration._' Kisuke and Tessai noted as the Hollow gave a wild, upwards slash with his claw, beginning a fierce exchange of blows, Kisuke's swordplay against the Hollows wild attacks.

The blade rung as the sharp claws slammed onto its surface while the Hollow snaked around his blows. Each claw strike was expertly evaded or knocked aside, either with the Zanpakuto or Kisuke's bare hand. Nearly every slash was dodged and countered in an instant, and the Hollow ignored the few that did get through as they healed quickly. Finally, Kisuke swept his leg out, tripping the Hollow before slashing at the Hollow with a sweeping arc.

The Hollow recovered and ducked under the attack before spinning, sweeping his tail and forcing Kisuke back before planting one of its birdlike feet on the ground and launching himself at Kisuke, who leapt over the attack.

Flipping in the air, Kisuke came down and bent his body and spun to evade another stab of the Hollow's claw before lashing out with a kick, his foot colliding with Ichigo's face, snapping his head back as the scientist landed and once more pointed his palm and him, his hand inches from the Hollow's abdomen.

"Hado 63: Raikoho!" A yellow orb of lightning appeared in Kisuke's hand before erupting into a massive wave of electricity. The blast pushed the Hollow back, but when it cleared, he was visible unharmed. There weren't even any healing burns.

Sensing a buildup of reiryoku behind him, Kisuke jumped into the air as the Hollow charged once again, revealing Tessai, who had just completed the chant for his next spell, his arms drawn back and his hands cupped together as two streams of blue fire gathered in his palms.

"Hado 73: Soren Sokatsui!" Tessai thrust his hands forward and launched another, much larger wave of azure flame at the Hollow, who could do naught but raise his arm to defend as the attack crashed into him.

Up in the air behind Tessai and safely away from the blast, Kisuke observed the blast consumed Ichigo, leaving the trail of destruction in its wake. Once the blue energy vanished, he came down and landed in front of Tessai.

"Awaken, Benihime." Kisuke spoke quietly, deciding to play it safe. At those words, his sword glowed red and transformed. It shifted into a sleek, medium sized straight edged sword with a U-shaped guard. Its handle wrapped in decorative, black wrapping and curved slightly at the end. A crimson tassel hung from its base and the blade was black with a silver edge.

"Things have certainly taken an unexpected turn of events, manager." Tessai said gravely as they waited for Ichigo to reappear.

"Tell me about it." Kisuke said before sighing. "How'd I let it come to this?" Both of them were visibly shocked however, when the dust cleared to reveal, once again, that the Hollow was unharmed by the attack. The ex-captain brought his hand up to rest on the top of his hat, tilting it forward. "Damn, he took a direct hit from a 70's level Hado and a point blank Raikoho and acts like it was nothing. He's one tough customer."

With a snarl, the Hollow raised his right hand and pointed at the pair, putting his leg back in a bracing stance as he brought the tips of his index, middle and ring fingers together, pointing at them.

The two Shinigami were shocked when they saw a crimson orb of reiatsu gathering at the tip of his fingers, three crimson trails of reiryoku as it radiated small sparks of energy.

'_A Cero!?_' Kisuke thought, his eyes wide at the intensity of the energy that was rapidly building at Ichigo's fingertips. The trails of crimson energy were rotating, faster and faster in a matter of seconds as the energy output kept climbing.

'_I see._' Kisuke's analytical mind quickly evaluated the attack. He wasn't one of the greatest scientists for nothing. None, not even his replacement, had the same degree of knowledge he had, including a vast understanding of flow, application and consistency of reiryoku. It only took an instant to fully analyze the technique before him. '_It's not just one Cero. He's charging one at each of his fingertips, concentrating and combining them into one, powerful, tri-focused Cero. On top of that, the energy's blending together perfectly… a powerful technique. Even so, this energy output is… _' He raised his blade, holding it perpendicular to the ground. "Nake, Benihime!"

Crimson energy leaked from his Zanpakuto and gathered before him, forming a blood colored, hexagonal shield.

The barrier was fully formed at the same moment Ichigo unleashed his Cero, the massive crimson blast carving a path in the ground as it roared towards them. The attack collided with the shield, and engulfed them. Kisuke focused his reiryoku into the shield as the red energy of the blast flowed around them. His eyes narrowed as the edges eroded away and he grit his teeth in effort as he maintained his shield, his hand gripping his hat as the wind produced by the surging crimson energy surrounding him and Tessai threatened to send it flying and caused his hair and coat to whip in the air. In moments, deep cracks appeared in the shield as it threatened to give way before finally, the blast abated and Kisuke allowed the remnants of his shield to fade away.

'_To not only be able to use a Cero when he's not even a Menos, but to be able to focus his energy so well, even as a basic Hollow… is this some of his heritage coming out? On top of that, he's not only fast and strong, but he's got an extremely tough hide with a high concentration of reiatsu. Even if I'm a little rusty, I doubt even an Adjuchas would give me this much trouble…_' "What have I created?" Kisuke spoke in a horrified whisper as he beheld the Hollow, which growled in frustration when he saw that they were unharmed. He gave a slight laugh. "If we're having this much trouble, we really must have let ourselves go over these last hundred years, huh Tessai?" He questioned jokingly, getting a grunt of affirmation from his old friend. The Hollow tilted his head back and let out a roar. "He's coming. We need to end this."

Tessai nodded behind him before Kisuke and Ichigo launched themselves at each other. Kisuke slashed his blade and Ichigo stabbed with his claws. The nails raked along the blade's edge, producing sparks as they once more began to exchange blows. Kisuke leapt back which Ichigo made a horizontal slash and flipped in the air before kicking off towards him with the air walk technique. He ducked under another stab and slashed along Ichigo's arm, cutting a quarter of the way through it as he ducked down and launched a high kick to Ichigo's chest, pushing him back before spinning on the ball of his foot, using the momentum to slash his sword.

"Nake, Benihime!" A crimson arc of energy erupted from the tip of his blade, flying towards Ichigo in a crimson arc far too close to dodge. The attack exploded as it collided with his chest, creating a smokescreen of dust and debris which obscured the Hollow.

Not wanting to give his adversary a chance to recover, Kisuke launched himself at the cloud, only for his eyes to widen in shock as an enormous, mouthed tentacle erupted from it, threatening to consume him.

"What the hell!?" Kisuke asked as the tentacle slammed into him, placing his hand on its upper lip to keep it from consuming him but still getting pushed backwards. In all his years, he'd never seen anything like this. Crimson energy engulfed his blade as he slashed upwards, slicing the tentacle in half and causing it to dissolve.

As the particles left behind by the appendage dissipated, Ichigo charged towards Kisuke. Once he reached him, he slashed wildly, trying to create an opening and ruthlessly exploiting any one that appeared. Kisuke, however, evaded every blow. Behind him, he heard a clap. Keeping his face to Ichigo, he craned his neck slightly to look behind him for an instant, seeing Tessai had brought his hands together, showing he was ready to end it.

'_Now!_' Knowing that his old friend was about to put use a powerful technique, he moved to create an opening, leaping backwards slightly. The Hollow followed suit just as he wanted. He pointed the tip of his blade to the ground.

"Nake, Benihime!" Once more, a crimson shield formed before his Zanpakuto. Ichigo's claw rammed into the barrier, but did no damage.

"Seeping crest of turbidity! Arrogant vessel of lunacy!" Tessai called out behind him. The Hollow planted his feet on the barrier, preparing to leap off of it and go around to continue his attack on the former assassin.

"Kirisaki, Benihime!" Kisuke yelled as Tessai continued his chant. "Boil forth and deny!"

"Grow numb and flicker!" A barrage of energy bullets erupted from the shield, pelting Ichigo, who raised his arms to shield himself and growled as he was pushed back through the air. "Disrupt sleep! Crawling queen of iron! Eternally self-destructing doll of mud!"

Kisuke canceled his attack, allowing his shield and the bullets to fade before he vanished in a whisper of shunpo, reappearing at Tessai's side as the area began to darken, as if all the light was being sucked out by some unseen force. Suddenly, it went from looking as if it were midday to the dead of night as black energy, outlined with slightly glowing purple began to form a square in the ground around Ichigo, who had just touched down on the ground.

"Unite! Repulse! Fill with soil and know your own powerlessness!" The black energy rose, forming a large, rectangular box which contained Ichigo. Pointing his hands at the lizard-like Hollow, his fingers fully extended, his thumbs and index fingers together with their counterparts. Finally, he called out the name of his spell. "Hado #90! Kurohitsugi!"

The box suddenly pulsed, doubling in size as spears of the black energy it was made from grew out of all sides and a rumbling sound washed over the area, causing the earth to shiver beneath their feet. A shriek of agony erupted from within the massive coffin before it faded into silence. Any remaining Hollow reiatsu was trapped within the box and undetectable as the darkness that blanketed the area vanished.

Kisuke sighed as his gaze washed over the box and the darkness that seemed to consume the area vanished, leaving an almost eerie calm in its wake. '_A Hado# 90 with the complete incantation. It not only impales the enemy from all sides with spears of energy, it distorts and amplifies gravity and simultaneously crushes them under its weight. Most captains wouldn't even be able to withstand a fraction of its power and remain standing. It's over._'

He heard small footsteps approach them and turned to see Jinta and Ururu had left their hiding spot and were walking towards the pair. Their eyes on the box, Jinta's gaze showing shock at the battle he'd just witnessed.

"Is it over?" Ururu asked, her eyes a little concerned and sad.

Kisuke, his eyes completely concealed within the shadows of his hat, covering any expression he might have had, nodded. "Yeah… I just wish it hadn't turned out this way…" He sighed again. "We'll have to notify his family… come on. Let's go." With that, he walked past them. He heard them follow as the coffin vanished before they all froze in their tracks, their heads jerking up and their faces masks of shock. As soon as the coffin vanished, Hollow reiatsu had seeped into the air once more.

'_It can't be!_' Kisuke twisted his body around, seeing the others had done the same, to see Ichigo standing, hunched over and somewhat shaky, in the center of where the black coffin once was, breathing heavily as he struggled to keep enough air to survive in his clearly perforated lungs. His entire body was covered in gashes and there was barely an inch of him that wasn't drenched in blood. He was pierced clean through in multiple places and his left arm seemed to have nearly been taken off by a few lances combined with the intense gravity. However, he was still standing, if only barely. He was obviously on his last legs, but he was alive.

Worst still, his injuries were regenerating, although it was slower than it had been and his large reiatsu signature had noticeably diminished.

'_Impossible! He was able to withstand Kurohitsugi!_' Kisuke thought before his already wide eyes opened a little more as his keen intellect noticed something. As his wounds healed, Ichigo's breathing was evening out. '_But… that can't be. High Speed Regeneration… a power possessed by a few Hollows and many Menos Grande. An incredible ability to be sure, but it has one flaw; it can't heal damage to the internal organs. He should still be struggling to breathe! Then… this isn't normal High Speed Regeneration, but something beyond it! The ability to completely recover from all wounds, so long as the damage isn't immediately lethal!_'

The Hollow let out a low growl as his gaze washed over the group of four. Ichigo could sense that this battle wasn't in his favor as he first thought it was. As they realized his power, the Shinigami had pressed harder and harder, showing they were, and were likely still, holding back, and now he had lost a lot of energy recovering from the devastating attack he'd just been subjected to.

Hollows were dominated by two things; the hunger to consume souls to fill the empty, gnawing void where their hearts should be, and instinct, and right now his survival instinct was screaming at him. Every fiber of his being told him this was a battle that could not be won, and so, he did the intelligent thing.

Kisuke grit his teeth as he saw the Hollow whip around. "No!"

But there was nothing he could do. Ichigo vanished, his body consumed by a small black portal before any of them could do anything to stop him. It was over, he'd escaped to the realm of the Hollow's: Hueco Mundo.

Kisuke stood there, his mind rapidly going over every second of the past 70 hours, from the moment the boy had come to them till the present, trying to figure out where it had all gone wrong. He knew, the moment Ichigo emerged from the pit, he wasn't an ordinary Hollow, but he never, in his wildest dreams or darkest nightmares, could have imagined he'd be this powerful.

'_And he was only a basic Hollow!_' Kisuke thought as he quickly worked through the repercussions of this event. '_If he evolves into an Adjuchas… or kami forbid, a Vasto Lorde… and Aizen were to find him… What have I done? How could I have let this happen? No matter how strong he was, we should have been able to take care of him! There's no excuse for this!_' "It seems… we made a grave mistake this time."

"Indeed, manager." Tessai replied.

"And now that he'd in Hueco Mundo, he's beyond out reach. We've condemned a young boy to the life of a Hollow… and may have given Aizen the key to winning the war that's soon to come… and there's nothing we can do about it."

* * *

Ichigo soon emerged from the miniature Garganta basic Hollows generate and fell on all fours, his claws digging into the sand beneath him and he breathed heavily as he attempted to regain his lost energy. Fortunately, unlike the world of the living, the air in whatever place he found himself in now was filled with reishi, allowing him to restore recover more quickly.

Ichigo raised his head and slowly scanned his surroundings, wanting to gleam as much about the landscape as he could. He found himself in a vast forest, or what appeared to be a forest at close glance. There were massive structures shaped like trees that when inspected were revealed to be made of a quartz-like material. He looked up and was slightly perplexed to find that they vanished into what appeared to be a ceiling made of more white sand.

It was a desolate landscape, seemingly devoid of life, but for some reason, being here evoked a sense of belonging. It was as if, for the first time in his short existence as a Hollow, he was where he should be. He felt like this was… home.

Once more, he was reminded of the emptiness, the pressing need to fill the void, the never-ending hunger. Having never eaten in his existence as a Hollow, and being a newly created one who'd just expended so much energy, it dominated his mind, drowning out all other thoughts.

He inhaled deeply before letting out a warped, echoing growl. They were no where near him, but he could sense that beings like him lived in this world. Something told him that if he returned to the place he just came from, he'd find nothing of interest, or possibly, the two who had overpowered him. While his memories were just a blur, he still had knowledge he'd gained during his life. He knew the ordinary people in the world wouldn't satisfy his hunger in the least.

Grinning behind his mask, he took off in search of other Hollows, knowing they'd make far more appealing prey.

* * *

Night had fallen over Karakura Town and as the residents of the sleepy city got some much needed shut eye, one particular soul was still wide awake.

Kisuke Urahara sat on the tatami mats in a small room in his shop before a short legged table, drinking the most recent of several cups of sake in an attempt to calm himself. He kept running the whole affair through his mind, unable to get over the fate of Ichigo Kurosaki. The outcome of the days events, and the knowledge that it was almost, if not entirely, his fault, a heavy weight upon his shoulders, like that on those of the legendary titan atlas.

He could easily spot two glaring mistakes. Firstly, he should have explained the shattered shaft to the boy. All he had told Ichigo about the Shattered Shaft was that he'd need to escape the hole to become a Shinigami. Quite the opposite, it was only possible to escape the pit _after_ he regained his lost powers. Rather than immediately becoming a Hollow once his Chain of Fate was destroyed, due to his latent powers, rather than immediately becoming a Hollow he would have, and had, resisted. At that point, his mind would have been forced into his inner world, where all he'd need to do was find his buried power. His Zanpakuto spirit should have explained this, but it likely cost Ichigo time, time he didn't have. He shouldn't have taken that chance.

The second was holding back too much after he'd Hollowfied. He'd never imagined that a newborn Hollow could be so powerful or dangerous. He hadn't put much effort into the fight, taking it more and more seriously as he saw more of Ichigo's powers, but that gave the newly turned Hollow a chance to realize he was outclassed. Still, surviving a 90's level kido? That was unheard of, especially for a basic Hollow.

And now… he'd have to break it to his family.

"Well, someone's certainly not looking so hot." A masculine voice spoke out nearby. Turning his head just enough to look to its source out of the corner of his eye, he spied his old friend: Yoruichi Shihoin, in her cat form, her long black tail swishing as she stood there before walking over to him as she took in the disturbed look in his eyes.

With a sigh, Kisuke replied, "Trust me, it's worse than it looks."

"Really? That's tough to imagine." The cat replied, eyeing him curiously as she walked to the side of the table and sat down. "What happened here, Kisuke?"

There was a pause as the scientist collects his thoughts before he began to answer. "Ichigo… Things were going smoothly. He passed the first test easily enough, but then…"

"He failed the Shattered Shaft." Yoruichi guessed, her expression showing mild surprise. It was not a question, there was nothing else that could have gone wrong. Getting another sigh as a response, she continued, "So, you were forced to purify him after all."

"… If only."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yourichi questioned, cocking her head to the side and raising a non-existent brow. "Surely you're not telling me you failed to purify a newborn Hollow?"

Closing his eyes, Kisuke replied, "Actually, that's exactly what I'm telling you."

Yoruichi's face morphed to shock and then irritation, "What are you trying to pull here, Kisuke? There's not way that a former captain would…" He looked at her, giving her a solemn expression, making it clear he was indeed being serious. "What happened here?" She repeated, a slight edge in her tone, both angered and depressed to learn of what happened to her old friend's son.

Kisuke was silent for a moment before he began his tale, "Well, as planned, things started off with Tessai using Bakudo 99's final song. Ichigo somehow managed to avoid it without taking any damage." His gaze wandered up to the ceiling as his expression remained grim but otherwise unreadable. "That should have been my first clue something was wrong. I knew if he turned, he wouldn't be an ordinary Hollow, but I'd never imagined…" He trailed off before continuing. "He came at me with surprising speed. He was faster than a lot of adjuchas I've seen. Stronger too, but I was still able to dodge his attacks. Problem is, my counter attack was completely ineffective, my sword just raked across his skin. I decided to try Kido and used Sokatsui, but he blew right through it like it wasn't even there. Tessai used Byakurai, and its piercing power did the trick. I cut him by focusing my reiatsu, like you would if your opponent had an overwhelming amount of reiryoku, only to find he had High Speed Regeneration."

Kisuke turned to Yoruichi, to see her eyes wide with shock, before he resumed his tale. "After that, we saw that lower level spells were a waste of energy and used Raikoho and Soren Sokatsui, but those barely even slowed him down. He then fired one of the strongest Cero I'd ever seen. It nearly tore through my Blood Mist Shield. After that, Tessai decided to pull out the big guns. I distracted him before pushing him away as he called out the chant for Hado 90. The coffin formed around Ichigo and we thought it was over and turned our backs on him… we were careless, Yoruichi." He said, his brow furrowing as he looked at Yoruichi, her expression horror striken at those last words, realizing where he was going. "He survived it, barely, and from the looks of it whatever form of regeneration he has lets him heal his internal organs too. At that point, he'd realized he couldn't win. He ran off to Hueco Mundo before we could make a move."

"Kisuke…" Yoruichi breathed, looking to the table as she quickly thought of the possible ramifications of what had happened this night. "Kami, Kisuke. If he was that strong as a basic Hollow… and he evolves… or if Aizen finds him."

"I know." Kisuke cut her off. There was a silence as both contemplated the change in the situation. After a few moments, he stood, walking to the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To do something I've been putting off." He replied, sliding the door open and resting his hand on its hinge as he turned slightly, looking at her over his shoulder. "This is my fault… I'm the one who should break the news to Isshin." With that, he left, leaving Yoruichi alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Isshin Kurosaki lay in his bed. Normally, he'd be off in dreamland this time of night, just like he was sure his daughters were, but tonight, sleep wouldn't be coming to the man. He was too worried over the fate of his son. He sighed, deciding that a glass of water might calm his nerves.

He sat up, briefly looking to and flexing his hand. He could feel it. The reiryoku flowing through his body, though it was much weaker than it had been once upon time. He could hear the voice of his Zanpakuto for the first time in so long, though his anxiousness stopped him from greeting him properly. After so many years, his powers had returned. This was no entirely unexpected. Kisuke had told him this could happen, he knew it could only mean one thing; Ichigo had come out of the Shattered Shaft. But the question was, what had he emerged as?

He had faith in his son, but any parent would worry. He'd always hoped, on some level, that his children would never have to face what their parents had, as had Masaki. Of course, he'd known that that wouldn't be the case, being the children of individuals as powerful as they'd been. Anyone in his shoes would have been prepared for what their children would face, and he was proud of the man his son had become. But right now, all he could do was wait and fear.

Fear because he knew that, if things went wrong, any minute now there would be a knock on his door. If things went according plan, Ichigo would return once his training with Urahara was completed and he wouldn't hear word until then. But if something had gone wrong…

Making his way downstairs, his just reached the kitchen when the moment he feared arrived. There was a knock on the door.

Quickly turning his head to the source of the sound, he burst into motion, running to the door and quickly unlocking it before practically throwing it open. The sight that greeted him was a slightly disheveled Kisuke Urahara. The man smelled of sake and his eyes carried a slightly haunted look.

"Kisuke! What happened!? Where's Ichigo!? Is he all right!?" Isshin asked, grabbing Kisuke's shoulders, rapid firing questions at the man in front of him.

There was a moment of silence before Kisuke took a deep breath and said, "… I… I'm sorry, Isshin."

All the energy seemed to leave the patriarch of the Kurosaki family at that. He hands fell to his sides and he took a step back, his expression shocked and disbelieving before he closed his eyes and gave him a solemn look. "So… he's gone on to Soul Society."

"No." Kisuke replied, causing Isshin to give him a questioning look. "He… he was strong. Far more dangerous than most of the adjuchas I've fought. I was caught off guard and… I'm sorry to say… we couldn't stop him from retreating to Hueco Mundo." He said, and it was clear he was having difficulty facing what he'd done.

Isshin's hand balled into a fist and trembled with rage and grief as he closed his eyes, taking a hissing breath between clenched teeth. After a moment, Kisuke began, "Isshin, I-"

"Stop right there." Isshin cut him off before running a hand through his hair. "I'm not blaming you for his death, Kisuke." Turning away, he continued, "I know my son better than anyone. He would never have let what happened to Rukia go. If he could, he'd have run to Soul Society exactly as he was after that bastard Byakuya was through with him, and there would have been no talking him out of it."

Kisuke didn't look even slightly relieved to hear that as it did little to assuage the guilt he felt but said, "Well, I'm glad that- guh!" Suddenly, a fist collided with his face, sending him flying all the way across the street and crashing into the wall, cracking it and leaving a human shaped indentation in the stone as blood trickled out of his broken nose.

"That being said…" Isshin responded, glaring at the downed man. "It _is_ your fault for letting him run off to Hueco Mundo!"

Thanks to Kisuke's screw up, his son was condemned to what was almost the worst fate imaginable. How could he not be angry with the man?

Kisuke fell to the ground and, knowing he'd fully deserved that, simply said, "G- got it… I had it coming…"

Isshin sighed again before looking up at the moon. '_Ichigo…_' "So…" He heard Kisuke begin, causing his gaze to return of the man as he picked himself off the ground, taking hold his nose and, with a flinch, realigning it with a slightly sickening crunch before looking at the other former captain. "… Your powers are back."

"… Yeah." He replied, his eyes hard as he looked down to his hand. "I'm a far cry from where I used to be, but I'm back." He turned around and said over his shoulder, "Before you ask, yeah, I'll take Ichigo's place." His expression became solemn as he added, "Saving Rukia was his last wish… it's the least I can do for him." There was a pause before he asked, "What about his body?"

"It wasn't damaged during the battle."

After giving a nod and a grunt of affirmation, he shut the door behind him before leaning against it and sliding down to his feet and letting his head fall into his hands.

He'd have to make plans. A lot of things were simple enough to figure out. Kon could handle his body while he was in the Soul Society and stretching his legs as he reacquainted himself with his Shinigami abilities. After all, he would certainly be rusty after all this time and it would speed up his recovery, though he'd still be nowhere near his original level of power by the time they hit their deadline.

How to explain his sudden death would also be fairly easy too. As a doctor, and as a friend to the head of a hospital, it'd be easy to falsify the cause of Ichigo's death.

That, even breaking into Soul Society in his current condition, would be the easy part. Bearing the pain of the loss of his son and breaking it to his sisters… that was the hard part.

* * *

In the desert that was Hueco Mundo's upper level, under the crescent moon that hung in the middle of the eternal night sky, sat a vast palace that could be seen for miles. It consisted of a domed main building surrounded by several towers with five small towers on the center of its roof. The home of Hueco Mundo's ruler since time immemorial, though it was only a century ago much different than it was today; the palace of Las Noches.

Under the dome, as per its creator's instructions, was a false sky that seemed to forever remain in midday. A large city consisting of various buildings and smaller palaces of widely varying designs scattered across the desert sand.

Moving throughout this city, various Hollows and Arrancar, Hollows who had removed their masks and gained Shinigami powers, the most powerful and complete of which regaining human forms in the process, identifiable by their mask remnants and Hollow hole, and in some cases their rather unique forms, moved about, performing various tasks and purposes.

Deep within the largest of the palaces, in a largely vacant room where the far wall consisted entirely of monitors, sat a figure, slouching to the side and resting his head on his knuckles as he stared, slightly bored, at the screens.

He wore the standard uniform of Arrancar, the only variation being a belt beneath his sash. He had turquoise hair that went down his chin and yellow eyes and his hollow hole lied in the center of his chest. His mask fragment took the form of an upper right jaw bone with an extension that curled around the back of his head and flared up into a sort of crest.

This was a being whose name would strike terror into the hearts of all but the strongest who knew his name. One who had nearly single handedly destroyed the Soul Society. The first Arrancar ever encountered by the Shinigami and one of only a handful to become fully complete naturally: Arturo Plateado, the lord of the castle and ruler of Hueco Mundo… as long as its true master remained in the Soul Society.

That thought caused his features to twist in anger, as it always did. Oh, how he despised that man! How low he had fallen, to be forced into subservience to a Shinigami. He had regained much of his lost power, he was more than strong enough to crush any average Shinigami captain beneath his heel with naught but his base strength… and yet, he was but a shadow of his former self, as his current position proved.

He had nearly succeeded. 130 years ago, he had nearly conquered all of Soul Society. He could taste his upcoming victory… only to have it snatched away by that damned flea and that accursed Shisui Mirror. It stole away his power, to such a point that a mere lieutenant would have been his equal, and when he was so very close to destroying it, it began to spin out of control, releasing an unnatural power. Knowing what would happen should the enormous amount of reiryoku it had stolen from him were released at once, he'd quickly fled through a Garganta.

As he hid in Hueco Mundo and recovered, he'd taken time to reflect on his past failures and he realized where he went wrong. Previously, he'd viewed his own power as so overwhelming that allies and subordinates had no value, simply using mostly mindless basic Hollows and Gillian as cannon fodder and bait. Now he realized he could have avoided his failures if he'd had a single subordinate that was worth a damn.

His arrogance hadn't helped matters at all. While he was still quite prideful, his current situation had humbled him, if only slightly. Enough so to realize that, just because he had been powerful enough to wipe out the Shinigami on his own, didn't mean it was an intelligent decision to actually attempt to do so.

Well, he'd certainly have it now. He'd use his 'lord' and the Hogyoku to build an army of Arrancar, and when he became strong enough, he'd show him his place and steal his power with his beloved Zanpakuto: Fenix. Then, he would crush all of the Shinigami once and for all.

Calming down, he broke out of his musings and returned his attention to the monitors, searching the screens for powerful Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde that inhabited the surface of Hueco Mundo, briefly flickering over some hollows he knew of and had an eye on.

Pressing a button, the screens flickered to the underground Forest of Menos, taking stock of the Gillian mindlessly wandering among the massive trees. As he watched, one of the sensors flashed red, causing him to sit up and turn his eyes to it. That only happened when a powerful hollow that had yet to be recorded appeared. How strange, only basic Hollows and Gillian usually inhabited the Forest of Menos…

Pressing another button, a transparent keyboard manifested and he began rapidly pressing keys. He hadn't exactly been well versed in such things at first, given that he'd lived in the desert with no technology at all for the past thousand years, but he'd had decades to familiarize himself with it after their leader had the fortress constructed upon the remains of the original castle and couldn't deny its usefulness.

The screens flickered before showing a single image, a lizard like hollow with long orange hair running across through the forest. A moment later, a display appeared showing measurements of his reiatsu.

As he his gaze went from the screen to the readings, he noticed something odd. The Gillain were ignoring the Hollow. And yet, the display showed it definitely had Adjuchas level reiatsu…

'_Strange._' Arturo thought as he watched the hollow. '_Gillian instinctually obey Hollows of a higher order, such is the nature of hollows and one of the instincts we all possess, to obey the strongest, and to the mindless Gillian instinct is all they follow… so what…?_'

His eyes widened when a basic Hollow, serpentine in form, shot towards the orange haired one, opening its mouth and preparing to take a bite out of him.

The battle was over in an instant. The orange haired Hollow lunged forward and thrust its claw, ripping through the other hollow through its mouth, tearing out of the top of its skull and killing it in a single move. He then gripped the snake like hollow and bit into it, tearing out its flesh and devouring it hungrily.

"What is this?" He questioned with a curious expression, his voice carrying a Spanish accent. '_No Adjucha would eat a basic hollow. It simply would not be satisfying. Even if it were, no simple hollow would attack an Adjucha._' He then looked at the readings once more and noticed something about the stability of the reiatsu. It certainly had the volume of an Adjuchas' reiatsu, but it lacked the intensity. '_This… this is no Adjucha, but a basic hollow with Adjucha level power! I've never heard of such a thing…_' His face took on a thoughtful look as he tried to discern the nature of the Hollow. "He must have been quite powerful when he was alive… or perhaps he is a Shinigami who was turned into a Hollow? If so, it was most likely Aizen who…" His brow furrowed as something popped up in the back of his mind. He felt as if he knew who this hollow was but he couldn't quite place it.

'_Wait!_' He thought as realization struck. '_Orange hair, enormous power… could this be that half-Shinigami boy Aizen had his eye on?_' The more he thought of it, the more certain he became. His mouth widened into a grin, one that reeked of arrogance and carried a hint of malice before he chuckled. "It seems his little experiment has taken an unexpected turn… or perhaps this is what he'd planned all along?" That line of thinking caused his frown to return. Not for the first time Arturo wondered, what _had_ he been planning?

He knew of him and Aizen's interest in him, having been contacted to monitor him and occasionally send Hollows like the first he'd encountered; Fishbone D, his way, before he'd vanished from all sensors into the protected shop of Kisuke Urahara, but Aizen had never shared just what his intentions were. The way he was before, he could never see him being an ally. But could he really have known he would wind up a Hollow? If not, then the only conclusion he could reach was that the Shinigami had been grooming an enemy. For what purpose? And how would it hurt their efforts?

Unlike most of the other Arrancar, Arturo took what Aizen had repeatedly told them to heart. In fact, he didn't even need to be told, it was something he'd lived by long before their Shinigami lord had been born. Don't trust anyone, because that means you rely on them, and he certainly wouldn't rely on anyone, least of all a Shinigami. They were united in a common cause but he was always looking for signs of betrayal, and as soon as he had the power, he would take his rightful place as ruler of all.

But, back to the present. He shrugged and sat back, whatever his intentions for… Ichigo, were, if this hadn't been his plan, then it was of little consequence now. Observing the data for a few more moments, he began running his fingers across the keyboard again, preparing to send a message to the one who truly ruled the Hollows and Arrancar…

For now at least.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed it.**

**I'd like to say now that the only reasons Ichigo survived that fight with Kisuke and Tessai is because they underestimated him due to being a newborn hollow and because of his regeneration. Future fights will show just how badass they are when they don't play around.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the wait, classes have started. On top of that, I'm currently playing Skyrim, which really eats up what free time I have.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

* * *

Isshin Kurosaki sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the floor, his expression tinged with sorrow and his eyes clearly showed he was tired. He barely slept at all the previous night, his son's fate weighing heavily upon his mind. He could still hardly believe how he'd failed his son and his beloved Masaki in allowing this to happen.

On some level, he still had trouble believing it. His son, transformed not just into a Hollow, but according to what Yoruichi later told him, one straight out of the Soul Society's worst nightmares, and now wandering Hueco Mundo… he kept asking himself how or why this happened, but received no answers. What would happen to his son? Would Aizen find and recruit him? Would he run into an Adjuchas and be devoured? He didn't know which fate would be worst. Although he hated to think of the prospect of having to face his son and knew of the potential damage he could cause if he became one of the Arrancar soldiers Aizen planned to make, the thought of him being consumed, becoming nothing more than a piece of another entity until both were purified by a Shinigami's blade, hurt him even more.

Corresponding with Yoruichi and his old friend, the father of Uryu: Ryuken Ishida, Ichigo's body had been taken to the morgue at the Quincy's hospital. The pair of doctors had needed a cause of death that would leave no injury on the body. Ultimately, they'd ruled his death as the result of an aneurysm that had stopped his heart.

The only thing he was thankful for was that his daughters wouldn't have to learn the truth of Ichigo's fate. Between the event with Grand Fisher and meeting Don Kanonji, the two were aware of spirits and Hollows. Considering that he knew Ichigo, he had no doubt that at least Karin had some limited knowledge of the existence of Shinigami too. The thought of having to tell them that their brother had become one of the soul devouring monsters they'd seen was horrifying to Isshin.

After a few more minutes, he looked to the clock once again. 11:00 am. He decided he'd put it off long enough. It was time to tell his daughters. He took a deep breath before he rose to his feet and made his way to the door.

As he neared the stairs, he could hear his daughters talking in the kitchen.

"I wonder what's taking dad so long, he's usually up and about by now." He heard Yuzu say. As he got closer, he could also hear a sizzling sound and knew she was probably cooking breakfast.

"Eh, you don't need to worry about old goat chin. He probably just thinks he can sleep in because he doesn't have Ichigo to bother." Karin's aloof voice reached his ears before he just barely heard her sigh. "Geez, it's so boring around here this time of year. There's never anything to do until the festivals start."

The conversation stopped when they heard him start walking down the stairs. When he reached the bottom and stepped into the kitchen area, he found both his daughters looking at him. Yuzu, who worked so hard to fill the void Masaki left behind, was hard at work at the stove cooking for them just as she always did. It amazed him sometimes how strong she could be, finding time to act as the mother of the family and still have time to be a normal kid and without ever asking for a break.

And Karin, who shared much of her brother's personality, hardening herself and always striving to keep from being a burden. Who's always there for her siblings no matter how she feels herself.

"There you are! You're sure up late." Yuzu greeted her father with a smile, which faded when she noticed the seriousness in his expression, which also had Karin frowning. This wasn't the quirky, energetic, jovial father who could make light out of just about any situation, or even who he was when there was a serious medical situation at hand and he dropped all pretext of his usual goofy behavior. There was a grimness in his countenance that told the sisters something was wrong. "Is something the matter?"

"What's wrong with you, old man? You look like someone stole that poster of mom you're always carrying on in front of." Karin asked, tilting her head back as she leaned back in her chain, one arm thrown over its side.

"Girls…" He began, his eyes failing to the floor in grief. "There's just no easy way to say this… Ichigo… he… died."

Yuzu and Karin gasped, the brunette sitting up straight as Yuzu took a step back, dropping the pan she was holding as her hands flew to her mouth, which clattered on the floor spilling the scrambled eggs she'd just finished.

Karin stared at her father, her expression one of open mouthed shock. Yuzu's face mirrored hers for a moment before it shifted to one of sorrow and loss, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

"I got the call last night… I didn't think I should wake you." Isshin began, hearing the beginnings of sobs from Yuzu. "He just… had a sudden arrhythmia. In a little while, I'm going to head to the hospital and start making funeral arrangements, as well as identify the body."

He looked up at the sound of rapid footsteps to see Yuzu throw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist and crying into his stomach. He wrapped his arms around her and looked at her for a moment before looking to Karin, whose hands were balled up on the table and trembling, her head tilted forward and hiding her expression.

"Karin…" Isshin spoke quietly over Yuzu's sobs, continuing even though he saw no reaction from the young brunette. "Don't try to hide what you're feeling or bottle things up, like Ichigo did after your mother passed. It wouldn't be a burden to share your feelings with us. It's what family's for, and it's times like these that you can't just keep things to yourself."

At that, Karin began to choke back sobs as well before raising her head, her eyes shining with unshed tears and her face twisted as she clearly struggled not to cry. She tried, she wanted so badly to be strong for her sister, but the pain of losing her brother was just too great.

Isshin adjusted slightly and got down on one knee as Karin jumped out of her seat and ran to join her sister. The ex-captain wrapped one arm around both his daughters as they cried into his chest.

* * *

As his family mourned his loss in the living world, Ichigo rested on the branch of one of the massive quartz trees of the Forest of Menos, his eyes scanning across the area, seeing no signs of life within his range of vision. His gaze wandered up, wondering what lied above the ceiling of the forest, but thus far he was unable to find anyway to escape its confines.

Seeing that there were no Hollows to attack him and nothing to do, he brought one of hic clawed hands to his face, covering his left eye, and began to try to organize his thoughts, searching through his mind for clues of his past.

While they were still fuzzy, his memories were gradually becoming clearer as he thought about them. He could see brief scenes from his human life. He saw his family; aloof younger sister and her soft spoken, empathetic twin, along with his goofy father. He could see the man try to wake him up in rather… violent ways. He could see a single vision with a woman with hair that matched his… his mother… a memory that caused a brief flash of pain to radiate from where his heart should be. He also recalled a short, raven haired girl, with large, purple eyes. Beyond that, everything was still a blur.

Part of him wanted to go see his family, but he could see no reason to. His transformation had changed him a lot. Far more than when he was alive, he wanted to fight. The instinct to battle and slaughter one's enemies was hardwired into the mind of every Hollow, and he was no exception. The being he'd become loved battle, better yet if the opponent was a worthy foe, something he'd yet to encounter. He felt a sadistic sense of amusement when the life bled out of his opponent's eyes.

But other parts of him remained the same. Anything that he claimed as his or had ties with him, be it subjects, comrades, family, whatever, he would protect, and he could best protect his living family by staying away from them.

As he sifted through his memories, gleaming as much from them as he could, his head jerked up as a flare of reiatsu washed over the forest.

He twisted his body to look in the direction of the reiatsu, sensing the presence of multiple hollows gathering together as their roars echoed throughout the underground forest.

Grinning behind his mask, Ichigo pushed himself off the branch, falling forward until he planted his feet on the trunk of the tree-like structure and kicked off.

He shot through the air, eventually landing and rushing towards the ever-growing presence ahead of him. Soon enough, he neared his destination and the source of the reiatsu entered his line of sight.

A mass of Hollows of various shapes and sizes, from humanoid to animalistic to simply odd ones, was gathering in a large clearing of the forest. They seemed to be in the middle of a feeding frenzy. All of the fallen souls were covered in blood, dripping from their claws, if they had them, and from their mouths, and many had large chunks simply missing from their body. They were drawn together by one overwhelming craving; the hunger to consume souls, the desire to consume each other.

Ichigo shot forward so quickly he became invisible to the naked eye, his mouth opening as he released a growl of excitement. He ripped a huge chunk out of the neck of another hollow as he sped by, causing it to release a gurgling death cry before falling forward as he came to a stop and chewed on his meal.

Sensing danger behind him, he leapt into the air and a hulking hollow which seemed to with a form akin to a green skinned wild man slammed its palm into where he'd stood a mere moment ago.

Turning his body around in midair with a malicious chuckle, Ichigo fell back into the brawl, his claw pulled back as he released a battle cry.

* * *

Uryu Ishida found himself confused as he walked down the streets of Karakura, his gaze briefly flickering towards the black cat that walked along the tall wooden fence at his side, balancing herself perfectly on it. He felt the slight urge to shudder as he looked at the feline. Even with all the different spirits he'd seen, the hollows he'd slain, it still creeped the hell out of him.

Seriously, who ever heard of a talking cat?

Taking his eye off the odd creature, his gaze washed over the surrounding area as he wondered, and not for the first time, where he was being taken. The cat had just shown up in the middle of his training and requested he accompany her. Of course, he declined, but she had stressed that it was of the utmost importance and finally, he agreed, but she'd been silent as to what it was she had to tell him.

"Where do you think you're looking?" The voice of the cat (who he believed to be male) spoke up, causing him to train his eyes on her. "Pay attention." With that, the cat jumped off the fence and walked to a nearby alleyway. "We're here."

Peering down the alley, he saw the unassuming Urahara shop. Recalling that as the name of the odd Shinigami who offered to help him, he followed the cat through the alleyway and into the building.

They soon reached a room within the shop and slid open the door. Sitting on the Tatami mats inside were his classmates and comrades in their upcoming rescue mission; Orihime Inoue and Sado Yasutora. Sitting on the other side of the room was Kisuke Urahara, his fan covering his face as usual and the shadows of his hat covering his eyes, making it impossible to see his expression.

As Uryu quickly looked over the occupants of the room, he noted that Ichigo wasn't there.

"Oh, Uryu!" Orihime greeted cheerfully. "You came. How've you been doing on your own?"

"Just fine. Thank you for your concern, Orihime." Uryu replied with a nod.

"Well, looks like everyone's here." Urahara said, moving his fan to the side and revealing a wide smile.

Uryu's eyes narrowed, knowing something was wrong while Orihime looked a little confused, placing her finger to her chin as she said, "Um… but, Ichigo isn't here yet."

Urahara's jovial smile immediately fell, replaced by a look of seriousness as his grey eyes became visible in the shadows of his hat as he closed his fan with a snap and set it down on the table before him. "Well that's actually part of the reason I've called you here. Suffice to say, I would have invited him if I could." He turned to Uryu. "Please, sit down. We have a lot to talk about."

Uryu did as asked, taking a seat beside Orihime. The Quincy's brow furrowed as he stared at the man before him, waiting for him to continue.

"Well, I'm sure you're all wondering why I called you here and where Ichigo is." He said, his gaze briefly downcast and directed at the table before it rose to meet the trio. "I'm sorry to say this but… Ichigo Kurosaki… has died."

Orihime gasped, her hands covering her mouth while Uryu and even the stoic Sado reeled in shock, their eyes wide open. They stared at the man, looking for any hints of deception, but found nothing. Everything pointed to his words being the horrible truth.

"No!" Orihime cried. "How can you say that!? Ichigo… Ichigo's the strongest person I know! He would never… he wouldn't…" She said before falling silent, struggling with herself as tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

Uryu, his own usually calm and composed expression twisted with a slight sense of grief at the loss of his rival, gave her a concerned look and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. This caused her to breakdown completely, leaning into him and crying into his shoulder as he did his best to comfort her.

While Sado's expression remained largely the same, his eyes expressed pain from the loss of his closest friend as his hands trembled. The quiet teen only spoke a single word, "How?"

Kisuke sighed, his head tipping forward, causing his eyes to vanish once more, keeping them from seeing the anguish in them. "I'm afraid that would be my fault." He looked to the trio once more. "As you should know, Ichigo was training under me in order to regain the Shinigami powers taken from him by Byakuya Kuchiki. In order to do so, he needed to complete a series of three exercises. I explained to him that there were risks involved, but now I think I should have been clearer, both about the risks and the objectives of the trials. The first was relatively simple and with little risk. He passed with flying colors and things seemed to be going smoothly. But it was during the second that things went south… in ways I had never imagined."

He paused a moment, letting his words sink in as Orihime quietly sobbed. His gaze washed over the two more composed teens, seeing them urging him to continue on, both wanting to know the whole story, if only so they could get the pain over with as quickly as possible and deal with the grief of their lost friend. "The second exercise was known as the Shattered Shaft. This… is where I made my mistake. I should have explained it more thoroughly… especially before we passed the point of no return. You see, the Shattered Shaft involves cutting the prospective Shinigami's Chain of Fate."

Uryu gasped, his expression a mask of shock and horror as he quickly worked out what must have happened. Kisuke didn't miss this. "I see you understand what this means. Yes, it's as you fear."

'_You fool…_' Uryu thought, his face contorting slightly in pain. How could Ichigo have risked… He knew he was reckless, but to go that far… Then he remembered Kisuke's words and glared slightly.

Exactly how much had he told him? Had the man essentially thrown Ichigo to the wolves without any warning? As irresponsible as Ichigo was, this man seemed to take it to heights that the orange haired teen would never have dared.

"After the chain is severed, the person undergoing the trial is thrown into a deep pit filled with a special gas that accelerates the rate of its corrosion, known as the Encroachment. Once the Chain of Fate fully corrodes away, the person becomes a Hollow." Uryu blew out a breath as Sado and Orihime gasped in horror at the prospect.

Ichigo? The boy who'd always been there for his friends, who'd do anything for his family, turned into a Hollow? It was inconceivable.

"You see, the objective of the exercise is for the person to escape the pit while their arms are bound behind their backs. Obviously, the only way to do this is to rediscover their Shinigami powers. While it's possible to awaken as a Shinigami before the chain erodes, it's very unlikely one would succeed." Looking at the trio, he could see Uryu give him a look of outrage. Sado seemed to be torn between grief and anger at those words while Orihime was still sobbing. "You see, at the moment the victim begins to become a Hollow, if said individual possesses latent Shinigami powers as Ichigo did, they resist the process. At this point, it would be easiest to awaken your Shinigami powers. In the end… he failed this task."

Uryu blew out a breath to calm himself and focused his eyes on Urahara. "So, I take it you purified him."

"Unfortunately, no." The ex-captain replied, leaning forward and placing his hand to his forehead. "I vastly underestimated what he would be capable of. I'm ashamed to say, he escaped to Hueco Mundo before I could finish him. I'd hoped to get another chance, but he's yet to emerge from it."

"What!?" Uryu almost snarled.

"I know… you don't have to tell me anything." Kisuke stopped him, leaning forward, his face completely covered by his hat. "There's no excuse for the mistake I made." He paused for a moment, giving them time to work through whatever they were feeling before sitting up. "If any of you want to back out of our rescue mission now that Ichigo is no longer with us, I'll understand. If not, I've got more to discuss with you." He closed his eyes as he continued. "After this, I don't want to take anymore chances of having another child's life on my hands. Stick around so I can explain the reality of what you're up against."

There was a moment of silence before suddenly, everything that the stoic Sado was bottling up exploded. With a roar of rage and anguish, he drew his fist back through the air, translucent liquid pouring out of it and surrounding his limb, before slamming it into the table between them, releasing a shockwave of reiryoku that obscured him from sight and blew everything in the room away and knocked over the nearby cabinet as Kisuke and Uryu leapt backward, the Quincy holding on to Orihime and pulling her with him.

All three were shocked into silence by the stoic Mexican teen's outburst. Jinta tore open the nearby door, he and Ururu having been alerted by the reiatsu and noise, and gaped at the damage done.

When the dust cleared, a huge hole had been torn through the floor revealing the training ground underneath. Sado's arm had transformed, not into the form that they'd seen before, but something new entirely.

The black color of his transformed arm remained, but the magenta color had lightened and become more intricate while the shoulder extension had become elongated and become more pointed.

'_Ichigo…_' He thought as he clenched his transformed hand into a fist and grit his teeth. '_I swear to you… I'll finish what you started… and protect your family._'

"I'll go." Sado said firmly as he stood up, staring at his arm. "Ichigo sacrificed himself trying to save Rukia… I won't let it be in vain."

"I'll go too." Uryu said, his eyes narrowed. While he refused to admit it out loud, he did want to save Rukia. After all, he wasn't going to just let her die, even if she was a Shinigami she was still a woman. Besides, he needed to make them pay, for defeating him, for his grandfather and now for Ichigo.

Kisuke's gaze wandered over the pair, thinking for a moment. "Ok…" He then stared at the hole Sado had created. "… But I think we might want to have this conversation elsewhere… after all, the gaping hole in my floor might be a little distracting."

Minutes later they'd moved to a guest bedroom. Orihime had gone home, promising to hear from the others and still come with them to Soul Society. Kisuke was a little worried the girl might have a breakdown, but she had friends who would be there for her. He was sure Tatsuki would be there for her once she heard the news.

Turning to the two remaining teens, the scientist began, "Now, I know you two have probably been putting your all into your training, but I think you might need to step things up," He turned to Sado. "From here on out, I'll be personally overseeing your training." His eye narrowed. "You should know beforehand that I'm not as nice a teacher as Yoruichi." Aside from a slight furrowing of his brow, the Mexican teen gave no response and Urahara turned to Uryu. "As for you, I think you may want to go pay a visit to your father. I'm afraid you won't get where you need to go without his help."

Uryu was visibly taken aback by that before he responded angrily. "What the hell are you going on about, Urahara? My father abandoned his heritage a long time ago."

"My my." Kisuke replied in a jovial tone, pulling out his fan and covering his sly smile with it while averting his gaze. "You really need to pay more attention. How do you get such good grades when you don't listen to what people say?" Hearing Uryu's scoff, he turned to look at him with a single eye. "Tell me, did he ever say, in his exact words, that he _didn't_ possess the powers of a Quincy?" Uryu seemed surprised by that question and didn't respond. Thinking about it for a moment, he realized he didn't. With a serious tone, the Shinigami said, "There's a lot about Ryuken that you don't know. Despite his attitude, he's actually one of the most powerful Quincy who ever lived and has mastered all that your grandfather could teach him. He told me in the past that those powers are so deeply engrained that he couldn't discard them if he wanted to."

Uryu's jaw dropped slightly at that. After a few seconds of struggling to find the words he wanted to say to the meddling Shinigami, he glared at the ex-captain and said, "Even if that's true, he obviously has no desire to teach me. And I have no desire to learn anything from him."

"Oh really? Well, this might change your tune." Kisuke replied. "Do you remember how powerful the Shinigami who so easily defeated you was?" Seeing the calculating look on the Quincy's face, he continued, "That man was a lieutenant of the 13 Court Guard Squads that make up the Shinigami's military force. Each division has ranked soldiers known as seated officers ranging from 3 to 20, with the lieutenant taking the place of second and the captain first. There's always a huge gap between the power of a lieutenant and that of a captain, but that's not always the case with the lesser seated officers. There are some cases where third seats are equal in strength to lieutenants. Now, you probably think that you will be able to handily defeat the man you fought by the time you head to Soul Society, but let me tell you exactly what your up against. Whenever a lieutenant or above is sent to the Living World, in order to keep them from influencing living souls with their reiryoku, as Ichigo did, they're required to equip a Gentei Reiin."

Uryu frowned. "Gentei Reiin?"

Kisuke nodded. "It's a seal which limits the Shinigami's power to a level that won't unduly affect their surroundings."

The self proclaimed Last Quincy didn't like where this was going. "Limits?" By how much?"

After pausing for dramatic effect, Kisuke answered, "It lowers them down…" He paused again, finally sparing them the agony of expectation after a few more seconds. "… to about 20%." Both the teens' eyes widened at that. "In other words, in the Soul Society, the man who defeated you will be roughly 5 times stronger. But that's not all. While you were down, I assume you learned of the Shinigami's Shikai?" Receiving a nod from the bewildered teen, he continued. "Well, that's just the first stage of a Shinigami's sword release. Beyond that is what's known as the Bankai. It produces a much larger effect than the Shikai which is always related to said Shikai's power, and it amplifies the user's strength by an average of five to ten times."

"Five… to ten?!" Uryu asked as he and Sado reeled in shock.

Kisuke nodded. "So, if that lieutenant, Renji Abari, were to possess Bankai and you fought him in the Soul Society, he'd be at least 50 times stronger. And though not many lieutenants have the ability to use Bankai, nearly all captains do. The sole exception being those rare few who are so obscenely powerful that they can contend with a Bankai with just their Shikai, but of course, that doesn't put you in any better position." Silence followed this declaration until Kisuke stood up. "Think about what I've said. Sado, your new training begins in the morning. And Uryu, don't worry about your father. A mutual friend of ours is going to speak with him. Whether or not it'll help your case, I can't say, but at the very least he'll explain the situation to him." With that, he walked towards the door and opened it before turning to look at the pair who rose to their feet, still somewhat shocked by what they'd just learned. "Oh, and just to let you know, there'll be someone joining you with you in place of Ichigo." With a smirk, he added, "Trust me; you'll be pretty surprised when you find out who it is."

With a growl, Uryu glared at the scientist. "I think we've had about enough of your surprises, Urahara!"

"Don't worry about it. It's a good surprise, I promise."

* * *

Ryuken stood in the heart of a large, metallic chamber; the secret training ground he constructed under Karakura Hospital, his spirit weapon held at the ready. Though the room, constructed of Reiryoku resistant soul synthesized silver, was undamaged, he'd just finished an intense training session. While he would certainly wished discard these powers, even if he could it just wasn't the sensible thing to do. One must always be prepared and vigilant. While he had come to despise his heritage, there may come a day when he needed that power.

And so, here he was keeping these hated skills of his sharp in this training ground he constructed at a time when he'd been proud to carry the title 'Quincy'.

With a sigh, he released his bow, allowing it to break apart into particles of reishi before he began to make his way out of the hidden area, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a box of cigarettes as he walked to the door, extracting a single one before putting it away and reaching for his lighter, only to stop when he sensed a presence at the door.

Raising his head and looking to the door, he saw none other than Isshin Kurosaki, wearing his Shinigami garb with his old, tattered captains haori fastened on his arm just under his left shoulder, his arms crossed as he leaned on the silver door frame.

"Hey." The former captain greeted. "Nice to see you're still keeping your skills sharp after all this time."

"What are you doing here Isshin?" Ryuken asked before he blinked in surprise as he noticed the Shinigami attire and reiatsu. "Wait, that form… Have your powers returned?"

"Yep." Isshin replied, hooking his thumbs in his shihaksho. "Looks great, doesn't it? Takes me back to the old days."

Ryuken, with his ever-present sense of calm, closed his eyes as he placed his cigarette between his lips and pulled out a lighter, bringing its flame to his cigarette as he commented, "It makes me sick."

Isshin, nonplussed by his response, gave a half hearted, "Thanks."

Taking the cigarette away from his mouth and blowing out a puff of smoke, Ryuken stated, "You didn't answer my question. What are you doing here?"

Isshin's expression became serious and after a short pause, he answered, "I came here to talk to you about Uryu."

Ryuken scoffed at that. "You should be more concerned with your own children." Isshin frowned at that and looked away, and the stoic Quincy winced before adding. "Kurosaki, I'm sorry about your son, but what makes you think you have any right to come here and tell me how I should handle mine?"

Isshin chuckled ruefully and ran his hand through his hair, "I'm not arguing against that. I know that between the two of us, I'm easily the worst father." He looked back to his old friend, "But I have to ask, are you really just going to let him go off to Soul Society as he is now? You know he won't stand a chance if he runs into a captain or something."

"Not if he uses Letzt Stil." Ryuken answered, and Isshin's eyes widened before they narrowed.

"So… you're banking on him being forced to cast aside his heritage?"

"If he knew what I did, I doubt he'd be as eager to cling to it as he has all his life." Ryuken replied, taking another puff of his cigarette. "Besides, if it comes to that, he may finally get a life in the real world. Leave the spirit world to the Shinigami."

"You say that, but here you are, practicing those same powers you hate so much." Isshin observed.

"It's only practical to do so. If there's ever a threat to the living, I must be prepared. Should Uryu have need of his powers again, I can easily restore them, and by that time maybe he'll have moved on a little." He looked out the nearby window, his expression unreadable. "Ever since father passed away, he's held fast to his Quincy lineage… the idealized history that father taught him. If this continues, he'll never be able to function among the living."

Isshin closed his eyes. He could understand where Ryuken was coming from. The boy was ignoring the world around him, focusing entirely on his ancestor's legacy… and knowing what he did, he knew this wasn't good for the boy. However, there were things Ryuken didn't know. "What if I told you… that if we're right, not just the Living World, but specifically this town, is in danger?" That got Ryuken's attention. The white haired man turned his eye toward him as Isshin met his gaze and continued, his expression and tone grave. "Do you remember what Urahara told us… about the Hogyoku?"

* * *

Footsteps could be heard echoing throughout the otherwise silent halls of the Central 46 compound, a lone figure moving through the barely lit hallway leading to the meeting room. Soon enough Gin Ichimaru, captain of squad 3, emerged from the corridor, wearing his usual wide grin as he walked across the silent chamber, ignoring the smell of death that permeated the chamber where the Soul Society's ruling body, second in authority only to the usually silent king, convened, and its source.

All across the room, at their seats in various positions, some slumped forward on the table before them, some with their unseeing eyes pointed to the ceiling, were the corpses of the respected Central 46. Blood had pooled around their bodies, but had long since dried.

They'd never seen it coming. No alarm or warning had gone out. As far as Soul Society knew, they were simply spending an extended period of time in important meetings. None would question their authority.

Of course, it helped that anyone else coming down there would never see the bodies. No, for anyone but the participants of what had obviously been a massacre, everything would appear as usual, all due to the absurdly powerful illusions of the mastermind behind this act of betrayal.

Gin walked by the bodies without a hint of concern or notice. The one he was looking for lied deeper in the compound. He made his way through the darkened halls until finally, he emerged in the daireishokairo, the repository of all knowledge within the Soul Society. All the history was documented, all the Twelfth Division's systems intrinsically linked so that all new experiments and discoveries were constantly updated and all monitors in both Soul Society and the World of the Living could be viewed from within its walls.

Standing before the central hub of the library, basking in the majesty of the near infinite knowledge within, was the Sosuke Aizen. The man turned as the footsteps of his right hand man reached him.

"Greetings, Captain Aizen." Gin said as he stepped into the room.

"Well, this is a surprise." Aizen commented. "Something interesting must have happened if you deemed it necessary to come to me here. So, what have you brought for me, Gin?"

"My my, so impatient." The grinning Shinigami replied. "I just heard a most fascinating report from our friends in Hueco Mundo and figured you'd want to hear about it right away."

"And what is it?"

"Oh, come now. Wouldn't you like to take a guess? The least you could do is be a bit more welcoming." Gin complained in a slightly mocking tone, though his expression didn't change as he waited, seemingly hoping for his fellow captain to indulge his antics.

Aizen, while slightly amused, said nothing, simply waiting patiently for the man to tell him whatever it was he came to. He had to admit he was intrigued. Arturo did so loathe reporting to him. He seemed to prefer to imagine himself the one in charge. It must have been something big for him to send an unscheduled message. "Recently, a rather powerful Hollow has appeared within Hueco Mundo. It's quite unique, possessing power on par with most Adjuchas despite being a newborn."

Aizen closed his eyes and turned back to the monitor, his usual, serene smile playing across his lips at this new development. "Is that so? It sounds as if he'll make a wonderful addition to our army, provided he evolves quickly."

"Oh, but there's more." Gin said, causing Aizen to half turn to face him. "Arturo noticed some similarities to a certain boy we told him to keep an eye on, and it turns out his hunch was correct. The Hollow is one Ichigo Kurosaki."

Aizen's eyes widened for a brief moment at that, his mind racing at the implications, wondering how this had happened. He had fully expected the boy to regain his Shinigami powers with the help of Kisuke Urahara. Even had he failed, he expected him to arrive in Soul Society soon in that case, he'd never expected him to be able to escape from the Urahara Shop. A smile, one slightly more malicious than his normal one, grew on his face. "I see." He closed his eyes. "The poor boy." While his tone sounded sincere, the smile made it clear he didn't actually feel any sense of sorrow.

"I suppose the term, 'not according to plan' would be appropriate here, eh Captain Aizen?"

"Indeed." Aizen replied. His original plans for the boy were no more. Aizen was a man who always planned for every possibility, but even he had never considered this turn of events. Even had he failed the to regain his Shinigami powers, which there was only one real way to do, he had expected him to be killed and purified. Not even he had anticipated the possibility of Ichigo escaping from Urahara. A shame. He'd hoped to see him eventually become his equal. However, who's to say that was no longer a possibility? As an Arrancar, his potential could very well be greater than it would have been before. Yes, it might be far more beneficial this way.

The more he thought about it, the more curious he became. Part of the reason he was so interested in the boy was because there'd never been a hybrid like him in all the history of the Soul Society. How would his heritage affect his new powers? Would the Hogyoku be able to draw out even a small fraction of those abilities? This may very well turn out to be far more entertaining than his original plan.

"So, is a change of plans in order?" Gin questioned, curiosity clear in his tone.

"Perhaps… no." Aizen decided after a moment. "We should continue on with the plan. That will give him more time to develop as a Hollow. We could always simply help him along, but I'm curious how far he can make it on his own." Though he'd have to instruct Arturo to help Ichigo evolve past the Gillian stage, if he hadn't thought of doing so already. The mindless Gillian, even their instincts dulled due to the countless psyches fighting their futile battle for control, wouldn't fight back against one of their own, at best simply moving away from their attacker. There was no merit in evolving past it, it just took time. He turned back to the monitor. "Besides, it'll give us an opportunity to observe the ones Kisuke Urahara sends to retrieve the Hogyoku. I must admit, I'm curious to see how the boy's former companions will develop."

* * *

Ichigo let out a battle cry as he thrust his hand forward, his claw tearing through the throat of a slightly taller, green skinned humanoid Hollow, causing it to cough up blood as it gurgled out its dying breaths. Pulling it towards him, Ichigo tore a chunk out of its shoulder before tossing it to the ground with a flick of his arm.

His instincts warned him of danger and he swiftly ducked under the swipe of a large, wolf like Hollow, aiming to tear his head off, not that it would have worked on his thick hide. He whipped around; lashing out with his tail and striking the offending Hollow, sending it spiraling to the ground where Ichigo promptly stabbed it through its mask, taking a brief moment to take a bite out of his victim. Rising up and releasing an almost insane sounding laugh, the orange haired hollow charged towards his next target.

The lizard-like being's forearms were covered in the blood of his freshly slain foes. He was tearing through them like a hot knife through butter, and yet, the all out feeding frenzy showed no signs of slowing down. No matter how many Hollows fell, more were drawn in to take their place as the reiatsu that enveloped the area continued to rise.

Not that this mattered to Ichigo. Even if he'd stopped to think about it, he'd be perfectly content with continuing with the seemingly endless brawl.

As Ichigo charged towards his next intended victim, rearing his claw back to slash at the creature, the world seemed to freeze. The reiatsu that had been bearing down upon all the Hollows suddenly exploded, multiplying exponentially as their reiryoku flared, kicking up the sand and spiraling around them as the various signatures and colors began to blend together. Trembling with the effort to move, Ichigo managed to throw his head back and let out an outraged roar as his body refused to obey his commands.

Then, he felt his body begin to crumble away. Struggling, his golden orb turned down to see that his hand was disintegrating into red particles, the effect spreading up his entire form. The other Hollows were all undergoing a similar transformation until finally, all had completely broken down, the crimson reishi fusing together and twisting, rising higher and higher.

Ichigo suddenly found himself without any form, floating in a sea of countless awareness along with the minds of the Hollows he'd been competing with, their voices whispering and screaming around him. He refused to lose himself to the psyches of the other souls in his form and began to, for lack of a better word for it; swim, rising higher and higher until finally, he breached the surface, subjugating the countless souls.

In the real world, the twisting mass of reishi turned black and took on a liquid texture as it continued to grow and take shape until finally, it settled into the shape of a Gillian, much like the one Ichigo had taken down shortly before his powers were taken from him, but with one noticeable difference on Ichigo's new form.

His mask was identical to the one he'd worn as a basic Hollow, but rather than the three red marking that once covered the upper left side of the mask, its entire left half was now covered in nine crimson lines. His mouth opened and its triumphant roar echoed throughout the forest.

He turned, hearing loud footsteps approaching, to see a mass of Gillian, all with identical masks, heading its way. It was odd that they'd all approach him in such a manner, almost like they were being herded, but with his mind dampened by the presence of the other Hollows in his mind, all hopelessly locked out of control but still fighting against him, and a new, stronger hunger than he'd ever felt before, he wouldn't question their presence.

With lumbering slowness, Ichigo began making his way to the horde of Gillian, intent on sating his appetite.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review.**


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